Good Morning.
This is what you serve the grandkids when they come by for dinner without their parents. The following menu will appeal to any person aged 3 -18.
We must, of course, begin with MACARONI AND CHEESE.
8 oz. elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan, not the stuff from a can
2 cups whole milk
1 cup Half and Half for more creaminess and calories
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. regular black pepper from a shaker - kids do not like big clunks of freshly ground stuff
1/2 cup Panko
2 tbsp. butter
Cook the pasta according to package directions and drain. In a saucepan, melt the 1/4 cup butter and stir in flour to make a roux. Stir for a minute or so to get out the flour taste. Add milk and Half and Half, stirring constantly. Stir in cheese and cook over medium low heat until the cheese is melted and the sauce is thickened. Put the macaroni in a large baking pan or casserole and pour the sauce over. Mix it all up with a big spoon. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet, add the Panko and brown slightly. Spread this mixture over the macaroni. Bake at 350 degrees for half an hour.
We also recommend BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS.
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups overripe bananas, probably 6 total
3 large eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Melt the butter in a small skillet and mash the bananas in a bowl into a pulp. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, melted butter, mashed bananas, and eggs. Mix well. In another bowl, combine the flour with the baking soda and salt. Add the dry
ingredients to the wet ones and whisk like mad. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Line 2 12 cup muffin tins with liners. Spoon the batter evenly into the cups - an ice cream scoop works well. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out reasonably clean. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes before serving with butter. Each child will probably eat three, the grandparents will do one or two, and the rest can be wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen for a month.
The above, well-balanced entree should be enjoyed with the soda of the sipper's choice. In the winter, fix up mugs of HOT CHOCOLATE topped with WHIPPED CREAM.
For dessert, we suggest APPLE CHIMICHANGAS.
1 16 oz. can unsweetened apple pie filling
6 tbsp. corn starch
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
6 flour tortillas
Vegetable oil
In a pan, heat and thicken the filling with corn starch. Add the sugar and cinnamon. Cook on low for 3 or 4 minutes. Take a tortilla and spoon a row of filling mixture along one end. Fold over the bottom to cover, then fold over both sides. Roll up
tightly. Fry in vegetable oil until golden brown and drain on paper towel. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
When the mother of your grandchildren asks if her cherubs had a serving of fruit, you can correctly respond that they had
bananas and apples. If she asks if they had their milk, you can honestly reply that they did, knowing it was in the mac and cheese. Grandchildren will not dispute these facts when you utter them. This is because grandparents are different than
parents for reasons that nobody completely understands. Grandparents do not get mad the way they did as parents if the kids track in leaves and mud. They brush it off if a 5-year-old fools with the remote or the computer to the point that tech assistance needs to be called, although it's more likely that an old person will mess things up rather than the more electronically savvy pint-sized. It's okay if a fort is made under the dining room table with the freshly folded sheets and the cat is washed in the shower with the expensive designer shampoo although the cat will not be pleased. It's perfectly acceptable if a grandkid scribbles on the closet door with magic markers because he or she also made a card, left on your pillow, that says you are loved.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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